Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6309606 | Chemosphere | 2013 | 6 Pages |
â¢24-h LC50 concentrations of 8 ionic liquids to C. elegans were determined.â¢Significant increases of biomarkers (ROS and lipofuscin) were observed.â¢DMSO remarkably rescued the lethality of worms and decreased the ROS level.â¢ROS play an important role in IL-induced toxicity.
By using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model animal, the present work is aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity of imidazolium-based bromide Ionic Liquids (ILs), and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved. Firstly, 24-h median lethal concentration (LC50) for eight ILs with different alkyl chain lengths and one or two methyl groups in the imidazolium ring were determined to be in a range of 0.09-6.64 mg mLâ1. Four ILs were selected to investigate the toxic mechanisms. Mortality, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipofuscin accumulation and expression of superoxide dismutase 3 in C. elegans were determined after exposed to ILs at sub-lethal concentrations for 12 h. A significant increase in the levels of these biomarkers was observed in accordance with the results of 12-h lethality assay. The addition of 0.5% dimethyl sulfoxide, which acts as a radical scavenger, remarkably rescued the lethality of C. elegans and significantly decreased the ROS level in C. elegans. Our results suggest that ROS play an important role in IL-induced toxicity in C. elegans.